Mobile Phone Calls Turn 40 Today

Next time you pick up your smartphone, don't forget to wish it happy birthday.

Today marks the 40th anniversary of the first phone call, which was placed by Motorola employee Martin Cooper on April 3, 1973.

During the test call, Cooper reportedly said, "I'm ringing you just to see if my call sounds good at your end."

Culture vultures may recall the phone's cameos in Hollywood films such as Wall Street and American Psycho. But what really made it notable was that it was hard-to-get: The prototype Cooper used, which eventually became the Motorola DynaTAC 8000x, cost a jaw-dropping $3,995, even though it weighed 2.5 pounds and only had a one-line, text-only LED display.